Former interim government spokesperson Shafiqul Alam has claimed that student leaders reached out to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus through a news agency journalist just two days before then prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, suggesting that plans to bring Yunus to power may have taken shape before Hasina’s sudden departure from Bangladesh.
Alam said student leaders needed a trusted intermediary to contact Yunus and invite him to lead the country in a post-Hasina scenario.
“When student leaders wanted to reach out to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and invite him to head the interim government in a post-Hasina scenario, they needed a trusted bridge-builder. Qadaruddin Shishir stepped up to fulfill that critical role,” Alam wrote. Aynaghar is the name associated with a secret detention facility in Bangladesh linked to allegations of enforced disappearances during Hasina’s rule. Alam also praised Shishir for remaining calm during the political turmoil. He claimed the journalist had quietly begun collecting video evidence of killings allegedly committed by the government. The interim administration was tasked with restoring stability, implementing reforms and preparing the country for elections. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was elected prime minister in February this year, following his party’s victory in the general election.
Earlier reporting noted: Bangladesh’s former Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus was chosen for the top post in the country even before former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka following violent student protests in 2024. Student leaders, who were planning a regime change in Bangladesh, reached out to the Nobel laureate to lead the interim government two days before Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024, according to Yunus’ former press secretary Shafiqul Alam.
He said Shishir handled the sensitive operation in complete secrecy, with only a handful of trusted individuals aware of the discussions. “It was Shishir who first approached the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner on behalf of the student leaders and facilitated the initial talks between the two parties,” Alam added. “If there is friction between India and Dr Yunus’s unelected administration, that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the chaotic, violent and extremist policies that are taking shape under Dr Yunus’s rule,” she said at the time. The Bangladesh government condemned the incident and said legal action would be pursued against those involved. Earlier reporting noted: What Yunus Aide Said What Yunus Aide Said
Earlier reporting noted: Hasina has accused the Yunus administration of allowing perpetrators of violence to escape accountability while pursuing politically motivated cases against Awami League members.
